2000 Buick Lesabre Limited on 2040-cars

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GM's MPG overstatement could affect 2 million vehicles

Late last week, GM admitted that three of its large SUVs fuel economy window stickers did not match their actual efficiency ratings, and so the vehicles couldn't be sold. The stickers on the 2016 Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave said their ratings were one to two miles per gallon better than they should have been. Officially, the number of affected vehicles sits at about 60,000. But Consumer Reports makes a good point: what's up with all of the previous model year SUVs that are basically the same vehicle? To wit: the 2016 model year vehicles are not substantially different than the 2015 or the 2014, or even going all the way back to 2007. On the EPA's fuel economy website, all of these older models will "have better stated fuel economy numbers than the new vehicles in GM's dealerships," Consumer Reports noted. CR's best point, and the one that makes the 60,000 number potentially grow to 2 million if all of the vehicles built on this platform are affected, is that "[i]t seems unlikely that the company would change the powertrain on these carryover models so late in their model cycles in a way that would cause a dramatic, negative impact on fuel economy." GM says that earlier model year SUVs are not affected and the EPA did not respond to CR's question about the potential for more discrepancies. We've seen automakers reverse course before, so if GM has to come out with a mea culpa soon, don't be surprised. GM is rushing corrected stickers to dealers so that the SUVs can be sold again, but a fix for the already-sold vehicles could be trickier to solve. Related Video: Related Gallery 2013 GMC Acadia View 16 Photos News Source: Consumer Reports Government/Legal Green Buick Chevrolet GMC Fuel Efficiency mpg gmc acadia chevy traverse

Is that a Cascada on Buick's Detroit show stand?

The above image is a close-up of one particular car spotted in a rendering that Buick provided of its stand at next week's Detroit Auto Show. Two doors, four seats, no top, deep and arcing shoulder line - any idea what that might be? We're going to guess it's the coming Buick Cascada, only we're stretching the definition of the word "guess" since the car is a dead ringer for the Americanized Opel droptop, which we drove more than a year ago. Looks like it's finally going to get the 'Official' treatment as a 2016 model, after it was shown to dealers last August. There have also been rumors that the car will be called Velite, but newer rumblings out of the Renaissance Center suggest that such gossip is a dead-end. The Cascada will enter a segment with no real competitors, since the Chrysler 200 ragtop is gone and a Buick convertible vs. Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro convertibles isn't really a thing, and we think will make a nice expansion of the brand's model-range footprint. The big bit of news we're waiting for is what's going to power it, a Euro-sourced four-cylinder with 168 or 197 horsepower? We don't have long to wait to find out. Related Gallery 2013 Opel Cascada: Quick Spin View 50 Photos News Source: GM AuthorityImage Credit: Copyright 2014 AOL Detroit Auto Show Buick Opel Convertible Luxury Detroit buick cascada opel cascada

Buick shows off Wildcat EV in gold, debuts new brand tagline

Buick keeps putting the gorgeous Wildcat EV concept back in front of our faces, and it’s just not fair. GMÂ’s premium brand released a new tagline today, “Exceptional by design,” and the Wildcat EV is the face of the companyÂ’s new motto. Check out the video above to see what all the fuss is about. There are a lot of glamor shots showing beautiful Buicks of the past before it cuts to the also-glamorous Wildcat EV concept. ThereÂ’s even a shot of a slight variation of the Wildcat EV dipped in a flashy orange-gold paint color. GM showed off this version of the Wildcat EV in an Instagram post last year, but now weÂ’re seeing the electric two-door coupe in yet another promotional piece. It differs from the final show car in its grille design, headlights, wheels, badging, color and more. Take a look at the side-by-side comparison below. Of course, Buick doesnÂ’t actually make products nearly as exciting as the Wildcat EV, but it does like to show its Encore GX and Envista sharing some design elements with the Wildcat EVÂ’s front end. A jump cut to those crossovers quickly follows our glimpse of the colorful Wildcat EV, though we canÂ’t help but be a little sad that this is all that will come of the stunning concept. Per usual (at least when we get the chance), we asked Buick if it had any updates or things to share about the Wildcat EV now that itÂ’s trotting this concept out to us in a brand campaign. HereÂ’s what the company had to say in response: "The Wildcat EV concept is still our blueprint for Buick design and youÂ’ll see Wildcat inspiration throughout our lineup, starting with the current Encore GX and Envista, and it will eventually extend to the 24MY Envision and 25MY Enclave. We still donÂ’t have any plans to bring that vehicle into production, itÂ’s strictly a concept." Basically, nothing's changed, and there are still no plans to turn the Wildcat EV into a production car. There wasnÂ’t much in the way of news today from Buick, but we can at least say this latest ad campaign is a clear step up over the “ThatÂ’s not a Buick” commercials seen years ago. Related video: